Quality One-on-One Time with My Dogs

Maya & Pierson sitting in front of the Sunflowers in our back yard. Kansas is known for its Sunflowers.

Maya and Pierson are alike in many ways. They both love walks, belly rubs, and, of course, food. But they are also different in many ways. Pierson is generally active and alert while Maya is a bit more laid back. Pierson needs a job while Maya is perfectly happy napping in the sun. And even though Pierson loves affection, he is not good at cuddling like Maya.

So despite loving them both just the same, there are times when one will get special attention over the other. And those times are the quality one-on-one times which help with bonding. Here are some of the things I only do with one or the other:

Maya gets to go to pet events because she gets along well with other dogs. She is also very good with children.

Maya won this dog dish at the Responsible Pet Owner’s Day event held in Lawrence, Kansas on September 22nd, 2013. She is sitting in front of our table for Pet Auto Safety.com.

Pierson gets to train on the agility course. Maya gets too excited about the dog treats and isn’t very good on focusing on what I’m trying to get her to do. Plus, she just isn’t very agile.

Pierson loves to go through the dog agility tunnel.

Maya gets to cuddle with me when I am not feeling well. Pierson will get on the couch too but you can tell by the look on his face that he’d rather be doing other things. He doesn’t want to get down and do them, though, because he doesn’t like it when Maya gets to do something he doesn’t.

Maya cuddles with me on the porch swing as I read “Sugar’s Furry Friend”.

Pierson gets to have more doggy massages because his hair is so long. I spend more time combing him out and checking for insects than I do with Maya. Pierson likes grooming until I try to comb his tail and fluffy butt.

Shedding season means more one-on-one time for me and Pierson.

Maya gets to go to the dog park because she gets along well with other dogs.

Maya going down one of the nature trails at the Mutt Run dog park in Lawrence, Kansas.

Pierson gets more fetch time play. He is more focused on the game than Maya. Maya gets bored easily. And she tires herself out because at first she is so excited that she does the zoomies rather than bring me back the toy.

13 Responses to “Quality One-on-One Time with My Dogs”

I’m honestly impressed that you split the time to do things with the individual dog. I spend about 2-3hr more or less one-on-one time with Donna and I’m still scrabbling to look for me time and time to get on with everything else in life! D:

OMD, Pierson and I are SO alike!!! Cuddles? Nah. Other doggies? Nah. Tunnels? YES!!!!! Oh man, you would loves my tunnel Pierson!! I loves to run at full speed through it, then plop down and roll! Oh, it’s fun! I’m not too good at catchin’ the ball, butt the flyin’ disc..yeah! Fun times!
Ma wishes I was a calm and snuggly doggie, butts hey, I thinks she would be bored with any other pups!! BOL
Kisses,
Ruby ♥

So cute! Sounds like you keep your mom well-entertained. Pierson plops down after the tunnel to wait for his treat unless there is more of the agility course to go through. And he can’t catch the disc in the air, but he does like to fetch it.

That’s great that you plan all their activities around what each dog enjoys…I’m sure they both appreciate that a lot. Our Leah is our laid back one who prefers to stay home most times, and Toby is our, “what are we doing now” dog, even when his aging body can no longer keep up. Meadow is our medium activity level dog, but is happiest when doing things in familiar places – but we are working on that.

I really enjoy camping with my dog. This could include long hikes, but normally it just involves sitting by the fire and reading and drinking (sometimes coffee, sometimes booze). My dog loves to just hang out a few feet from the fire, observing the world. It’s very peaceful.